Review: Clementine’s Fabulous Roadshow

5*
The Lost Theatre (London) 30th April 2017. This Production has now closed.

A singing dragon, a gyrating rooster, a ghostly bus conductor and an exploding beaver – Clementine’s Fabulous Roadshow is full of surprises!

You may already know Clementine the living doll from television, but seeing her live is a totally different experience. The concept and presentation is playful and very effective, focusing the attention of the audience onto a character that is both real and fantastical – the proportions shouldn’t work, but somehow they do. Clementine herself narrates the performance in person and via video clips with a humour that is clever and silly, sharp and daft, and topical and timeless.

The first half takes the form of a variety show that our opulently costumed heroine has put together with her Arts Council grant. The action moves between the screen and the stage, introducing a cast of both larger and smaller than life characters that sing, dance and perform with the help of three fabulous puppeteers, displaying a dexterity with rod, glove, and bunraku puppets that is seriously impressive, and yields seriously funny results.

The second half is a framed within the pantomime Snow White, full of knowing nods to the tropes and themes of the genre but with lots of playful and unexpected twists. The wicked stepmother has the voice of Margaret Thatcher, fairy godmother Beryl is from a secret spy organisation called F.A.R.T., and there’s a particularly beautiful under the sea scene where Clementine (in a submarine) meets a helpful merman.

Along with her talented cast, this living doll is not be missed. A naughty, joyful, and glittery evening all round – Clementine’s Fabulous Roadshow is a treat. An Arts Council grant very well spent, I’d say.

Follow @ClementineDoll1 on Twitter for updates of future performances.